DfE eases T Level work placement rules to boost take up

Government rules for T Level industry placements have been further relaxed in a bid to boost the number of students taking the flagship qualifications.

Learners on nearly all courses will now be allowed to complete 20 per cent of their 315-hour total placement remotely instead of a physical workplace – with this allowance increased to 50 per cent for students on digital T Levels.

Ministers will also allow placements to be carried out as “simulated activity” on the school or college’s own site, but only if this is overseen by their industry placement employer. 

And placements will “no longer be restricted to the specific T Level subject being studied by students”.

Guidance detailing the changes will be published in January 2025 and will come into effect immediately.

The reforms come amid lower-than-expected enrolments, high dropout rates, and long-held concern that there are not enough employers willing to offer enough work placements when T Levels are fully rolled out.

Skills minister Jacqui Smith announced the move today at the start of the government’s “T Level Celebration Week“.

‘We have listened to businesses’

She said ministers have “listened to businesses and these changes reflect what they need to help them offer T Levels and our missions of boosting economic growth and breaking down barriers to opportunity”.

Smith added: “We are cutting red tape to make it easier than ever for employers and providers to take part in T Level industry placements while ensuring students benefit from meaningful, high-quality experiences.”

Each T Level includes a mandatory industry placement of 315 hours, or 45 days, that must be completed over the two-year course in order for students to pass.

Original rules had made clear that all placements “cannot be delivered virtually/remotely, except for work taster activities”.

The Department for Education first watered down this requirement in January 2023 by allowing 20 per cent of placements to be done remotely in six subjects.

Today’s announcement extends that hybrid working offer to all of the more than 20 T Level subjects except for education and early years, and dental nursing specialisms, which have specific requirements related to licenses to practice.

‘Simulated placement activity’

Ministers said the new “simulated placement activity” offer can include small group projects and will be “especially helpful for high-risk industries such as engineering and manufacturing where students will be able to develop their skills and experience in a safer, controlled setting”.

It is unclear what proportion of placements can be conducted through the “stimulated activity” flexibility at this stage.

A government spokesperson said placements will also “no longer be restricted to the specific T Level subject being studied by students”, meaning that students can “now gain experience across related subjects within their chosen route”.

“For example, within the agriculture, environmental and animal care route, students can use their placement to explore the shared principles behind animal care and management, and agriculture, land management and production,” the spokesperson said.

“This change offers greater flexibility, opening up a wider range of experiences and opportunities for students.”

T Levels, designed to be the technical equivalent to A-levels, have been rolled out gradually since 2020, with schools and colleges often reporting lower-than-expected recruitment figures. Around 16,000 students started the courses in September 2023. Recruitment numbers for 2024/25 haven’t been published yet.

Figures for previous years show around a third of T Level students drop out before completing their course.

Earlier this year, the DfE launched a “route-by-route” review of T Level content and assessment in a bid to boost recruitment and retention and to ensure the courses are “manageable at scale”.